Nursing Shortage in Utah

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Emery Goodwin
3 years ago
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1 Caring Solving the Nursing Shortage CONTINUUM

2 Assessment shortage of nurses creating health care crisis It affects the amount of time you spend with a patient. And that s a problem because that s the essence of what good nursing is all about. Dawn Forhetz, R.N. The national shortage of registered nurses (R.N.s) is creating a health care crisis; the impact on Utahns is acute, as Utah has the third most severe shortage in the country. This concerns everyone, because throughout the continuum of our lives, it is inevitable that we or a loved one will need the compassion, care, and expertise of nurses. The ripple affect of this shortage is wide-reaching, always affecting the most vulnerable the very young, the old, the sick. Currently, more than 1,000 R.N.s are needed to fill vacant positions in Utah, due to increased demand and replacements. The greatest area of shortage in Utah is the shortage of R.N.s in long-term care facilities. Home-health care agencies nationwide are refusing new patients due to the nurse shortage. By 2020, the nation will need a million more nurses. Today, in hospitals across the country, 126,000 nursing positions remain unfilled.

3 Strong pulse Interest in nursing is healthy It s sad that the best people can t get in our nursing program. We ought to all be out there screaming and yelling about this. Annette Poulson Cumming, R.N., Alumnae, Donor The shortage in nurses is not for lack of qualified applicants; two-thirds of them were turned away from our college due to a shortage in faculty. Yet, the nursing profession continues to attract some of the brightest and most passionate who want to make a difference in people s lives. Ranked in the top 10 percent in the nation, the University of Utah s College of Nursing is a strong draw for these qualified applicants. The graduates that walk out of our doors and into the lives of patients are excellent. Through their comprehensive educational experience, they acquire the expertise and insight to work effectively with diverse individuals throughout all stages of their lives. Among Utah s seven state-supported nursing schools, there were enough qualified applicants to fill the state s shortages, but due to a lack of faculty, less than half of these applicants could be admitted. As the only nursing college in the state that offers both a Ph.D. and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), we can educate more faculty for nursing programs throughout Utah. 98 percent of the U s College of Nursing applicants successfully complete our baccalaureate program and consistently score above the national average on their R.N. licensure exam. Our service-learning and international exchange programs educate our students on community and global health needs while simultaneously increasing the health of the community. Nursing schools nationwide turned away more than 40,000 qualified applicants in 2007 due primarily to an insufficient number of faculty. (The American Association of Colleges of Nursing)

4 Diagnosis Nursing deficiency due to acute faculty shortage For us the biggest challenge is a lack of faculty. The demographics are such that my faculty members are retiring at the very time we need to expand our faculty due to demand. Maureen Keefe, R.N., P.h.D., F.A.A.N., Dean of the College of Nursing The shortage in faculty is at the root of the nursing shortage, limiting us from expanding student enrollment. Because nurses can make more in the clinical setting than in the teaching profession, it is difficult to recruit, retain, and honor outstanding professors who are committed to educating highquality nurses. The U College of Nursing needs at least ten additional faculty each year for the next five years to expand enrollment and to maintain our high standard of clinical supervision. All other nursing programs in Utah also need additional faculty and benefit from the faculty prepared at the U College of Nursing. In Utah and across the country, the average age of nursing faculty is 50 and over, and one third plan to retire in the next five years. The U College of Nursing provides graduate education in Southern Utah through Dixie State College a remedy to the nursing faculty shortage in this rural area of the state.

5 Prescription Fund faculty expansion to ensure continuum of care I would say you can support this nursing cause on the highest of moral and intellectual levels and you can support it right there in your gut knowing that you want it there when you need it. Chase Peterson, M.D. Former U of U President The solution is within reach. Working together, we can solve this crisis here in Utah. The Caring Continuum Campaign aims to raise $12.5 million to fund more faculty members and educate more nurses to care for you, your family and our growing community, so all may benefit from exceptional and dedicated nurses. Caring Continuum donations will: Attract national experts and highcaliber professors with endowed faculty positions; their expertise attracts competitive research and program grants. Expand our distancelearning programs to reach out to nurses in rural areas who can get advanced degrees on-line so they can teach in their communities. Provide scholarships and research opportunities to attract nurses to pursue graduate education that would allow them to teach. Increase the number of faculty and students with expertise in caring for the needs of older adults.

6 Prognosis Good By joining our campaign and making a charitable gift to the University of Utah s College of Nursing, you can make a difference in your own backyard the hospitals, clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities in your community. Do this because you care about the critical role of nurses and the presence they will have throughout the continuum of your own life.

7 10 South 2000 East Salt Lake City, Utah 84112

Mentoring Program Guide A program of the Alumni Association

Mentoring Program Guide A program of the Alumni Association Office of Advancement Dean s Suite 10 South 2000 East Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5880 (801) 581-5109 http://nursing.utah.edu Table of Contents